Guidelines and General Information about the Gerstenberger Scholarship Fund:

1. The purpose of the Gerstenberger Scholarship Fund (GSF) is to offer scholarships to members and employees of cooperatives in the Upper Valley who seek to further the cooperative movement through education, training, and/or business development. The Fund is named in honor of the Hanover Consumer Cooperative Society’s long-serving General Managers, Harry and Arthur Gerstenberger, and first Education Director, Sally Gerstenberger.

2. The HCCF Review Committee will review proposals seeking between $500 and $2,500 in aid, with exceptions for noteworthy need. All applicants will receive notice of the status of their application. NOTE: awards will be made directly to qualifying educational organizations to observe the Fund’s 501 [c][3] status.

3. Recipients will be asked to present to the HCCF Review Committee on how the funds were used and summarize key points of their scholarship and how it applies cooperatives.

4. Priority will be given to co-op members, co-op employees, or co-op groups located in, or doing business in, the Upper Valley region of New Hampshire and Vermont as defined by the Vital Communities Service Area.

GSF is designed to assist those who are:

Continuing their cooperative education as employees or board members of their local cooperatives and/or credit unions;

Pursuing academic research in how cooperatives can best meet societal needs; OR

Planning or developing businesses that follow the co-op model of innovation and ownership. As such, GSF considers applicants from across the co-op sector: food, housing, agriculture, daycare and preschool, credit, medical and dental, automotive, and other co-op enterprises.

Name of Applicant: *

Phone Number: *

Example: (603) 555-5555

Address: *

E-mail Address: *

Co-op Membership: *

Please list your membership in cooperatives and credit unions.

Describe Your Co-op: *

Briefly describe your cooperative and your position at your cooperative.

Grant Amount Requested: *

Please indicate in dollar amount how much money you are requesting for this grant.